American Goldfinch False Indigo

Light Needs

Partial Sun to Full Sun

(At Least 5 Hours of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

3-4 Feet

Mature Spread

4-5 Feet

Growing Zones

4 to 8

Adding late spring color to the garden is always a good thing. Yellow in the late spring garden indicates the change of season to summer. American Goldfinch False Indigo is a profusely blooming perennial that can add that certain punch of color after the early bulbs start to fade. 

Yellow, lupine-like blooms cover the upright stems on this stunner for a long time in May. The flowers attract all types of beneficial pollinators like a magnet, turning into the most interesting seed pods. The pods shake and rattle when the wind blows through the pea-like foliage. False indigo is a great plant to include in an ornamental grass planting or a meadow type setting. American Goldfinch has been developed to have a shorter and more compact shape that will fit into just about any size garden and does not require extra staking to keep upright.

American Goldfinch False Indigo Care 

Full sun and well drained soil are a must for American Goldfinch. The native cultivar of this variety is found all over North America along prairies and pastures and near the edges of forests. Rocky and sandy soil is preferred over heavy clay. Extra irrigation after establishments is rarely needed. Only during the hottest of weather. 

Herbaceous perennials die back to the ground each winter and do not need pruning to keep their shape. Leaving the stems and seed pods of American Goldfinch to stans all winter will not only give the birds food through the winter, but makes for very interesting shapes in an otherwise bare garden. Dividing may be required every 3-4 years, depending on the vigor of growth and blooming. Supplemental fertilizing is rarely needed. False Indigo is in the legume family and is considered a mild nitrogen fixing plant. This means the plant takes nitrogen out of the air through its leaves and can concentrate it in the ground by way of nodules attached to the roots. 

American Goldfinch False Indigo Spacing

American Goldfinch reaches a mature height and width of 3-4 feet. Spacing each plant at 3 feet on center will provide proper air circulation.